Bank of America Named 2012 Corporate Partner of the Year

Recognition for company efforts in raising awareness, funds to help fight hunger

CHICAGO, April 20, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Bank of America has been named the Feeding America 2012 Corporate Partner of the Year in recognition of its commitment to helping raise awareness around the issue of hunger. The award is a culmination of various hunger-relief efforts by the company over the past several years that include everything from employee volunteer programs to customer engagement to multi-million dollar donations.

Most recently, the two organizations partnered to provide more than 26 million meals through Feeding America's "Give A Meal" campaign – a holiday program that targeted families in need throughout the country. Through this inaugural effort, nearly $3.5 million was raised in corporate and personal financial contributions from more than 8,000 donors.

"The 'Give A Meal' campaign was just one of many examples of how Bank of America has worked with us to help fight hunger in our country," said Vicki Escarra, president and CEO of Feeding America. "The company and its employees' commitment to the issue has been unwavering and I am honored to present them with this special recognition for all that they have done."

For more than 20 years, Bank of America has partnered with many of the nation's food banks to help support needs at a local level.  Since 2009, the company have invested nearly $21 million in food assistance and feeding programs, with a focus on supporting nonprofits like Feeding America and its affiliate food banks across the United States that address the growing demand for hunger-relief on a daily basis as a critical economic empowerment and neighborhood stabilization strategy for low-income individuals and families.  In 2008, Bank of America began working with Feeding America as a way to help a greater number of people on a national scale.

"We are honored and humbled by this award but recognize that the pervasive issue of hunger remains a real and growing crisis that many Americans are experiencing," said Kerry Sullivan, president of the Bank of America Charitable Foundation. "Through our comprehensive partnership with Feeding America, its extensive reach and demonstrated commitment to making a difference in communities across the country, we hope to continue creating positive change for families in need nationwide."

Along with their financial support of the "Give A Meal" campaign, the company has partnered with Feeding America to help food bank clients gain greater financial stability. Through this work, Bank of America has provided financial empowerment materials for food bank clients and supported assistance on applications for SNAP (the federal government's former food stamp program).  Through this support, 36 food banks have helped more than 44,000 low-income households submit 93,000 SNAP applications resulting in 97 million meals for families facing hunger.

"We are so thankful for all of their support and we look forward to continuing our work together," Escarra said. "We couldn't feed the 37 million people that we do without the support of our partners."

About Feeding America
Feeding America provides low-income individuals and families with the fuel to survive and even thrive. As the nation's leading domestic hunger-relief charity, our network members supply food to more than 37 million Americans each year, including 14 million children and 3 million seniors. Serving the entire United States, more than 200 member food banks support 61,000 agencies that address hunger in all of its forms. For more information on how you can fight hunger in your community and across the country, visit http://www.feedingamerica.org. Find us on Facebook at facebook.com/FeedingAmerica or follow our news on Twitter at twitter.com/FeedingAmerica.

Contact:
Shannon Traeger
Feeding America
312.641.5717                                     
[email protected]

SOURCE Feeding America